


The Children of Thunder

by Sefton (Sonnybcm)



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types
Genre: Action, Martial Arts, Short, Short One Shot, Tenyi, Thunder Dragon, Wordcount: Under 10.000, Yu-Gi-Oh! - Freeform, yugioh - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-17 14:47:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28601676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sonnybcm/pseuds/Sefton
Summary: Life as a warrior and martial artist is one of constant testing and struggling. After surviving a fierce battle to defend their monastery atop a mountain, the three students of the Tenyi Style must leave and venture out back into the world, to undergo a pilgrimage to a different dragon vein and continue honing their skills. Their path leads them across the ocean, to the other side of the landmass, where another dragon vein and another temple await for them, and to new dangers on the way. Aboard a small vessel on the imense blue, they will face a great danger, this time belonging to this world as much as they do.Above the sea, the sky darkens to bar their way, and it rumbles with thunder.
Comments: 1





	The Children of Thunder

“I really have to say, this is much better than I expected. We’re sailing so smoothly!”

Although Shaman had been busy carefully channeling the required spirits, she couldn’t help but smile when she heard the tone of awe in the voice of the young woman at the helm of the fishing ship. Monk and Berserker also smiled, each one busy with their own duties aboard the vessel. The salty breeze and the eternal swing of the ocean caused none of them any problem or discomfort; In fact, it almost filled all three of them with new life.

It had been two weeks since they left the celestial shrine, after spending a week rebuilding and repairing the parts of it that had been destroyed in the battle against the Draitron. It was weird to leave the place they worked so hard to protect and repair so soon after the fact, but it was necessary - The training of the Tenyi martial artists included visiting as many dragon veins as possible until they developed mastery over all different types of chi. And in doing that, it was also their duty to travel to, maintain and protect all of the Tenyi shrines and temples - not just the one they’d stayed at until then.

“...I think this will hold. We’re near an ocean current, so there is a pretty sizable flow of chi in the water,” Shaman broke her stance slowly, allowing herself to relax. She had been at the front of the ship for the past few hours, expanding her focus and calling upon the chi of wind and water, Nahata and Shtana, to help the boat sail without issues. “Is this speed agreeable, captain Miu?”

The young woman at the helm, bright red hair tied in a tight braid, gave her a thumbs up and a large toothy smile.

“More than that! It feels like we are flying over the water instead of sailing! I never understood why my papa was always so happy to lend you three a ride before whenever you came down from your mountain, but ah, this definitely explains it,” Miu sighed in contentment. She looked over her shoulder to the back of the boat, where Monk and Berserker had been working to pay for their passage as well. “You two gents doin’ fine...Over...Oh, gee.”

“Everything will be properly moved and secured in just a moment, captain.”

Miu’s expression was frozen with her mouth hanging slightly open as Berserker gently lowered the cargo boxes full of equipment on the back. Two huge crates on each shoulder, and two more crates stacked on top of each one of them, and the huge martial artist moved while balancing them almost casually. The tilting of the boat seemed to not matter as not once he lost his balance or tripped despite the skewed center of gravity. A little bit more to the side, Monk was expertly aiming and throwing ropes and lassos around each crate of equipment to make sure it was all properly secured. Up above, the sails had been also tightly secured with thick rope. Pretty soon, it was all done.

“Well, I’ll be. I wish you three were just out job huntin’, you do the work of half a skeleton crew! With this newfangled spellcounter thingamabob on the engine, we could run this ship with just the four of us every day! Well, as far as physical work is concerned. Bit weird how you managed to tie yourself up on the fishing nets when I said to spread’em over the side,” captain Miu said, causing Shaman to giggle and Monk and Berserker to look away, keeping their dignity by pretending to not hear the last part.

“Well, we’ll always need a lift to go down the continent, and doing it over the ocean is best. So at least we’ll see each other seasonally,” Shaman said, finding a comfortable-looking barrel to rest on. “Why is your father not at the helm this time, though?”

“Papa got sick a couple weeks ago. Since I’m of age, I just took over for a while while he recuperates. We always need the money, you know?” Captain Miu said casually. “Well, that, and he doesn’t sail this time of the year anyway. Y’see, storm season’s approaching. But it’s just such a good opportunity to get some extra coin, and with you all showing up right on cue, it felt like a signal. I mean, you’re making the ocean pretty quiet so what’s some rain? ‘Sides, it’s really early into the season. No reason that a big’un would come by so quickly.”

“...Well, I wouldn’t make light of nature even with our abilities. There is a lot out there that’s bigger than us,” Shaman said with a frown. She exchanged nervous looks with Monk and Berserker. “I appreciate the vote of confidence, though.”

“We’ll do our best to make sure we all reach the other side safely,” said Berserker, gruff as always, sitting down with his back against the ship’s edge. “We will protect this ship and you. That is all there is to it.”

“What are these storms like usually? During these times of the year, we are usually already inland,” Monk asked. “I bet things get pretty crazy on the ocean.”

“Well, in a few weeks? Lots of wind, rain, hail, and huge waves. Wouldn’t dream of sailing then. But as of right now?” captain Miu shook her head with an amused smile. “Don’t you worry yer pretty little head. Nothing but some loud thunder and light rain, at worst. Won’t even notice it. We’ll reach this archipelago tomorrow that’s always got some nasty clouds over it, another two days so I can get my haul, another day to reach port in the south and that’ll be it. Nothing to be afraid of.”

The rest of the day went by without problem, without a hint of rain - although the wind was certainly picking up by evening hours. The Tenyi students dreamt of heavy clouds, but instead of thunder, what came down were bright blue beams of starlight striking at a mountaintop relentlessly. The roar of machines filled the air, as did the roars of dragons. Glistening metal ascending towards the sky after a furious battle, it was almost as if….

KRA-KOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM

It was a very real, deafeningly loud crack of thunder that woke up all of them. Shaman and Berserker’s eyes snapped open in the dark of the crew quarters, followed by the surprised tumbling and cursing as Monk woke up more violently, twisting himself out of his hammock and straight onto the floor.

..--OOOOOOOOOOOOM

Another rumble of thunder, this time more distant. It was at this point that the Tenyi felt the violent rocking that the boat was suffering, as well. 

“Storm season,” Shaman said with a worried tone. All three got up to their feet at the time another sharp sound cut through the commotion; the echoing ring of the crew bell summoning all available personnel to the upper deck.

The three fighters entered the upper deck to face pure chaos. The wind was gale-like, throwing huge waves against the hull of the ship, and the sky was dark like night. Up above dark clouds swirled and twisted menacingly, a reflection of the ocean below. The most horrifying sight, however, was the massive conglomeration of purple and black clouds expanding from near the horizon that the ship was rapidly approaching. Arcs of purple, gold and stark white lightning jumped from cloud to cloud, splitting the sky and shaking the ocean with the subsequent roar of thunder.

Near the helm, young captain Miu had her grip on the wheel so tight that her knuckles were shaking with the effort, eyes squinted to see through the wind and the rain. She turned to look at the Tenyi with a bone-white look of apprehension.

“I...I know what you’re thinking, but this is NOT normal!” she shouted to get her voice to carry over the wind. “Even in peak season it never got like this! I’ve never seen clouds like these before! We’re nearing the archipelago and I’m gonna need to make an emergency moor on one of the islands, but we’ll need to sail into the eye of that storm!”

“Keep us steady! Monk, help her!” Berserker commanded, to which the youngest Tenyi nodded before jumping into action. “Shaman. Channel wind and water, and when you do, I will assist you in borrowing their power. Miu is right, this is no natural storm. Something like this couldn’t possibly form this fast.”

“Unnatural...Master, it can’t be Tempest?” Shaman asked anxiously. Berserker, much to her relief, shook his head negatively.

“No dragon ruler has a reason to leave their plateau. Even though Tempest is the only one to break free on occasion, this is far too big a distance.”

Another deep, loud crack of thunder shook the ocean. Berserker squinted his eyes.

“...We should not relax, however. Look. In the clouds.” Berserker lifted his massive hand, pointing straight to the dark mass of rain. Shaman looked forward and squinted her eyes, trying to see what Berserker was pointing at. Another large lightning bolt crossed through the clouds, illuminating the dark mass just long enough for Shaman to see it; the dark silhouette of a long, serpentine dragon with massive wings and a humongous body. And worst of all, three distinct heads roaring to the sky.

The following hour was a chaotic struggle, with every nautical mile bringing them closer to the horrendous storm. Monk took point near the helm, while Shaman and Berserker took their places near the front of the ship. Like spectral flames, the spiritual chi of Nahata enveloped the boat, flowing directly against the storm to direct the wind in their favor, while the waters attempted to part the waves that threatened to capsize the small fishing vessel. It wasn’t long until all four were drenched to the bone; Shaman had been quickly to remove any and all ceremonial ribbons on her attire aside from the one she used to tie her hair back to keep it from her eyes, alongside the long flowy sleeves. Useful in battle for diversion and distraction, but nothing other than a hazard in a storm. By her side, Berserker stood stoic against the storm, refusing to let the wrath of nature interfere with his form as he too channeled a spirit to protect the vessel. In the back, Monk was focused on channeling Nahata to keep the wind and the rain away from the captain's eyes.

Once they finally entered the border of the storm clouds themselves, however, it was like an entirely different challenge. The soaking wet air became charged and tense, smelling of ozone and steam. Every movement the fighters made produced some form of static, and painful cracks of static electricity often arched from one to another, particularly when lighting struck the ocean in the distance. Then, Shaman started to notice different types of roars beyond the howl of the storm. As she looked up, another lightning strike showed her a sight that gave her goosebumps: up in the air, in every direction away from the humongous three-headed dragon silhouette, there were dozens of flying blurs. And judging by the approaching intensity of their roars, they were not happy.

“They saw us!”

“W-we’ll get to the nearest island in the next five minutes! I can see the shape!” Captain Miu said, through voice cracks. “Oh, please, pleas-- AAAAAH!”

Just before her eyes, like hawks descending upon prey, two serpentine forms crackling with electricity swooped down from the sky. Shaman and Berserker both let out surprised sounds as they were struck and then lifted up into the sky. Miu felt tears stream down her cheeks, but Monk placed one hand on her shoulder. When she looked back, his eyes were burning with determination.

“Keep going. Let’s dock and find shelter, they’ll find us!”

“But...But they’re gone! They’ve been taken!”

“They’ll find us.” Monk raised his eyes to the stormy sky. “I promise you. This is not our day to die, and we swore to protect you and your ship. Keep going. My masters are strong.”

Up in the sky, the howling wind was only getting louder and more intense as Shaman and Berserker were dragged up at high speed. Shaman was quick to lose sight of Berserker, as she had to focus on her new opponent; a serpentine dragon with dark scales going down its back, crackling with lighting; the Thunder Dragondark had attempted to swoop down on her and kill a meal with a quick bite, but now it was unexpectedly struggling against Shaman’s strength as she had one hand holding tightly to one of the dragondark’s upper fangs, and the other one on his lower jaw as it took her towards the sky. The shocks that the creature let out were painful, but Shaman’s body had endured much worse during training - and the idea that she could get her upper body bitten clean off if she were to let go of the dragon’s mouth was a very powerful reminder to keep her focus.

“Damn you - let - go - of me!”

Shaman could feel a build-up of electricity on the back of the dragondark’s throat; she had only a few precious seconds. Straining against the bite strength of the dragon, she twisted her body, delivering a kick straight to the upper-left fang of the dragondark and snapping it clean off, the way she did with stone tiles when training. The dragondark roared in pain, twisting its body at the sudden agony, spitting out Shaman. Just a moment after it happeed, as Shaman started plummeting through the sky, she saw and heard the crackle of dark lightning being expelled from the Thunder Dragon’s maw. 

Shaman barely had time to breathe easily when from the side, she saw another approaching winged blur, taking advantage of the Dragondark’s lack of ability to keep its meal. Shaman exhaled and weighted her options as the thunder dragon approached. She could face the creature in mid air where it had the advantage, or she could allow herself to plummet into the stormy ocean.

“Why in the world are all these dragons here?” She thought in exasperation. 

When she could see the color of the scales on the thunder dragon - the classic, dark-green original species that often travelled in duos or trios - she made a decision. Her body became enveloped with the green chi of Nahata, and she twisted her body mid-air; a gust of wind pushed her out of the trajectory just as the thunder dragon swooped under her, mouth wide open to try its luck at a mid-flight meal. Shaman extended one arm, barely managing to hang onto the Thunder Dragon’s wing scales before being violently yanked along for the ride. Shaman put her head down, holding her breath as static lightning surged from the thunder dragon’s body, forcing her own body to twitch in pain. Green turned to red, as Shaman called upon Mapura to shield herself from the worst of it. It was a fickle, struggling spectral flame that covered her body, barely enough to shine against the darkness of the clouds or to combat the freezing cold of the high altitudes. The eye of a storm was the furthest place she could be from fire and heat, and its chi, unless she were to take a dip in the ocean below.

The thunder dragon was clearly unhappy about the sudden weight, but it was nothing that it couldn’t handle. With each beat of its wings, sparks ignited from its body, and the rain sizzled as it came into contact with the dragon’s scales. Lightning arcs from the clouds shot out, striking it dead on and were absorbed into the dragon’s body, reinvigorating it every moment. Were Shaman not shielding herself with the chi of Mapura, she knew she would have been plummeting down, well cooked and smoking. She could feel the energy exuding away from the dragon’s body - natural energy, a personification of storms, raging almost as much as the wind. And it was growing.

“What…?”

Before her very eyes, the Thunder Dragon started to glow. The crackles of electricity begun to coalesce around its body, forming into golden spheres of power. Everywhere in the storm, in every other direction, shining from among the clouds and piercing the darkness, Shaman could see similar golden flashes as the rest of the population of Thunder Dragons started to do the same. It was absolutely mesmerizing, a spectacle to rival any other on earth; and she had a feeling it would be fatal at such close proximity.

Further up in the sky, beyond her sight, Berserker struggled against his own enemy. Both his arms were bound by twin jaws, as the Thunder Dragonduo that swooped at him attempted to tear him apart between its heads. The Dragonduo was humongous, more than large enough to easily carry the titan of man high up in the sky and fight off any other thunder dragon in the typhoon for the meal. What it did not count on was the prey fighting back with such ferocity; Berserker’s skin had hardened and blackened into thick dragon scales, as his entire body fumed with the dark chi of Vishuda. The pressure was phenomenal, but neither jaw of the dragonduo could pierce through the skin and muscles of the martial artist - although the lightning arcs exuding from the dragonduo’s body were singing and burning Berserker’s skin all the same.

“Good ferocity,” Berserker roared over the sounds of the rain. “But I was not born to be prey!”

With a mighty flex, berserker’s body bulked up as he tensed up his arm muscles. The jaws of the dragoduo started to be forced open due to sheer brute strength. Berserker yanked both arms up, grabbing a hold of the barbed tongues on each head, and with a ferocious roar slammed one head against another as violently as he could. The dragonduo’s jaws lost their strength at the dizzying blows, and Berserker took the moment to slide out of the dragonduo’s grasp, wrapping both legs around the creature’s left neck. Touching the dragon without some form of protection came at a cost; as a lightning bolt struck the flying creature, it left the dragonduo not only completely unharmed, but it seemed to reinvigorate his strength: it shook off the dizziness caused by Berserker’s blow. As for the martial artist himself, he had no protection against the surge of electricity that went right through his body - Berserker roared in pain and his skin started to smoke. He was left panting and dizzy, seeing double as his body barely held on after a blow that would have vaporized most beings. Red chi surged from within his chest, redirecting the worst of the lightning bolt away, but it was just barely enough. The dragonduo on the other hand was completely at home in those extreme conditions, and attempted to snap at Berserker’s body, being only barely repelled by the flickering chi.

“What a dangerous type of beast,” Berserker thought as through sheer force of will he kept his grip. He started working towards moving to the dragonduo’s back, away from its sapping maws. “I can't fight it in the sky.”

Berserker managed to climb onto the back of the dragonduo, and readied a dizzying blow to force the creature to land, when a roar so loud that it shook him to the very bones pierced through the sky. Under him, the dragonduo started to glow bright gold, but his attention was elsewhere. Berserker’s chin fell as, from further up above, the massive three-headed figure that they had seen from the boat revealed itself. It crested from the clouds like a behemoth erupts from the sea, dwarfing the dragonduo and every other thunder dragon that flew together in the typhoon. Its mere presence filled the air with power, and sure enough, lightning started to arc - not from the clouds to the dragon, but being projected from its very being off into the sky. The Thunder Dragon Titan was the very image of power and wrath. And one of its heads locked its eyes on Berserker.

It, too, started to glow gold.

Berserker wasted no more time; with a kiai, he struck the back of the Thunder dragonduo, and put one foot over the creature’s massive wing, stopping it from flapping. The dragonduo, and Berserker, started to plummet down from the sky at increasingly high speed.

“Master!”

“JUMP TO ME, NOW!” Berserker roared to the sky when he heard the voice. He could not afford to look away, but he had faith that Shaman was more than capable of finding a way. The wind picked up, and he felt the touch of chi. As he plummeted down to the ocean, Shaman leapt off the Thunder Dragon she had borrowed, and put all her faith in Nahata to bring her to safety.

The ocean was quickly approaching, but so too was the island they were meant to dock in. On the beach of the island, they recognized the distant form of monk, channeling the spirit of Shtana in order to give them a beacon. Berserker threw one of his hands back while the other firmly grasped one of the necks of the dragonduo, and he found Shaman’s hand. 

Earth was quickly approaching. The dragonduo roared and snapped, trying to reach the Tenyi on its back, but berserker’s chokehold was holding. Both martial artists had their eyes squinted and their brows furrowed in concentration. Five seconds...Four, three, two…

“Now!”

Berserker lot go of his hold on the dragonduo, and both he and Shaman leapt off the creature’s back in Monk’s direction. Behind them the dragoduo roared in outrage and it did its best to get its balance back and return to the air. Berserker and Shaman hit the beach in a cloud of sand, rolling to break their fall. The momentum was too much for a graceful landing; both berserker and shaman were thrown on their backs when they finally managed to stop moving. Their ears were ringing and their vision blurry - but they were alive. They frowned in confusion when Monk hurried to their side, seeming to shout something urgent, but no sound came out of his mouth. The sounds of the world seemed extremely distant, except for the drumming of the rain on their bodies. A persistent ringing on their ears was the first sign that their audition was returning; the golden glow on the sky that Monk was furiously pointing to as he tried to get them back to their feet was the sign that they couldn’t afford to wait until it did.

The moment that they started to run inland, towards the forested part of the island, was when the first matrix hit the ground. From the sky, tens, dozens of hundreds of gleaming golden orbs of electricity started to fall. They hit the land and the ocean with the strength of true lightning bolts, turning sand into glass and water into steam. Monk was ahead of the race, leading Berserker and Shaman through the trees and up, towards a cave above the treeline on a large hill. Miu was there waiting for them, her face red from crying. 

It took the better part of an hour for Shaman and Berserker to truly recuperate. Their audition returned, and as the adrenaline left their bodies, their wounds and burns became more and more apparent.

“I didn’t think this could happen,” Miu said sorrowfully. “I’ve never seen those things before...I didn’t know they came with the storms!”

“They don’t,” Berserker groaned. He had dragged himself to the edge of the cave, observing the persistent thunderstorm. It was still going; the hundreds of dragonmatrixes showered persistently upon the land. “Thunder Dragons are rare. They cause storms wherever they go, but they rarely gather like this. Not once a year like a seasonal storm; this is probably the first time they've gathered here in your lifetime. It’s something else. It’s not your fault.”

A large amount of the spherical Dragonmatrixes fell from the sky, only a little distance away from the cave. Most of them hit the ground and exploded, flash bursts of electricity that thankfully didn’t reach the cave. However, two of them stayed solid after they hit the ground. Crystallized lightning, gleaming on the ground.

“What are these things? They aren’t lightning bolts,” Monk asked, looking out of the cave. “They’re...round. Like the fallen star.”

“Don’t try to touch them like we did with the star,” warned Shaman. “This feels like pure electricity. You’ll need to shield yourself somehow.”

The thunderstorm lasted for hours still. The persistent lightning from the heavens seemed neverending. Miu fell asleep while the three martial artists kept watch; Berserker refused the offer by Shaman and Monk to treat his burns, electing to meditate on the events of the day instead. Shaman and Monk spoke in low voices about what it all could mean, discussing theories about what could have possibly brought all of these creatures together, until the thunderstorm suddenly stopped. Berserker opened his eyes, and all three Tenyi martial artists carefully observed the sky to determine what would happen.

The dark clouds lost some of its intensity, and they could see streaks of multiple dozens of creatures flying off into different directions, moving towards the nearby islands of the archipelago. In a moment of tension and fear, they all saw the colossal Thunder Dragon Titan breach through the clouds and descend precisely on the island that they had chosen to shelter themselves. The Tenyi tensed up as the massive creature landed and all three of its heads seemed to scour the area, sniffing and growling, attempting to find trace of invaders. When it seemed to tentatively accept that it was secure, they all breathed a sigh of relief. The Titan started to move around the island; its massive frame was easy to follow even from their sheltered position. It was far away, but the entire island still smelled like ozone and felt like it was supercharged.

“...It’s just as imposing on land as it is in the skies, then,” Berserker said. After a moment, he chuckled. “I would like to face it in battle here, without the lighting bolts...Although I suppose that would take away from its power. A handicap would be humiliating.”

“It’s...Looking for something,” Shaman said, slowly. The eyes of Monk and Berserker turned towards her. Shaman carefully sat with her legs crossed, observing the massive creature wander around the island, until it seemed to find the spot it was looking for, and curl up in there. “I see it...It’s curling up around a handful of matrixes. Some that weren’t destroyed upon hitting the ground. But there’s also something else in there…”

Shaman closed her eyes. Very, very carefully, she extended her consciousness, the same way that she would when trying to feel out the dragon veins and the chi throughout the land. All living things had chi in them, and the chi flew through the wind, the earth, the ocean and anywhere that life could flourish. It was a vital force. It was power. And when she reached the energy of the Thunder Dragon Titan, she could feel a bottomless amount of it, unlike any that she could channel as of now. The Tenyi Spirits formed from elemental and vital energy coalescing together, from earth, wind, fire, water, the bottom of the darkest caves and the light of the tallest mountains. Yet, what she felt emanating from the Titan was the closest thing she would ever be able to describe as a Tenyi Spirit of Thunder.

“...What a shame. If we could train near it...If there was a way for it to accept us being close, we would be able to do something entirely new,” Shaman said with a slight hint of disappointment. “It’s chi unlike anything we’ve seen before...It’s a living lighting bolt. But it’s too wrathful and bestial. And...Sorrowful.”

“Sorrowful?” Monk frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I just...I feel great sadness coming from it,” Shaman said slowly. “Loss. There’s purpose and will, and it will do what it must and live, as will any beast on earth. It came here for a reason, by instinct. But it has lost something.”

Shaman looked over at Berserker, who was staying completely still, looking down at the curled up Titan below. Finally, he spoke, extending one massive hand to point.

“....The treeline around the area where it’s curled up is very lush, but irregular. And you can see that the ground has odd mounds to it, and a weird coloration. Bits and pieces of stone are protruding from the earth. It’s not comfortable or desirable to curl up on, but it chose that spot in particular to bring the Matrixes back to,” Berserker laid down his examination slowly. “Even with thick scales, it is not a good place to lay down. And these matrixes can still shatter somehow.”

Berserker had their full attention. The massive fighter stroked his chin, deep in thought for a long time.

“...It’s a breeding ground, this much is obvious. And it’s chosen that place instead of the beach where it’s soft, or a clearing with more space, for some reason. I have absolutely no idea how this works, but these matrixes must be the equivalent of eggs, as absolutely...ridiculous as it sounds. Perhaps it is only this particular type of thunder dragon that can come out of just the matrixes?” Berserker wondered. “We can’t see dragondarks, hawks, or duos on this island. But we did see that the storm had all kinds, and they scattered to the other islands in large quantities. But not this one. This Titan...is alone. No partner.”

Monk and Shaman regarded the curled up Titan with new eyes. Two if its heads were curled around the few matrixes that survived the fall to earth protectively, but the third one was sitting and pushing at the earth and the bits of stone jutting out, letting out soft growls.

“It’s heartbroken,” Shaman realized, feeling a wave of pity for the creature. “They must mate for life….”

“...What could have possibly killed a thunder dragon titan to leave its mate like this?” Monk asked. "It's...massive."

“I don’t think its mate was a Titan. Use your eyes, Monk. It’s important to observe your surroundings. Follow the line of stones jutting out of the ground, carefully. They’re stark white. They aren’t stones, but bones. And if you follow them like so,” Berserker was guiding Monk’s eyes with his finger. “You’ll see ribs, and a spine, and a long tail...But only one place where the head could be. Titans have three heads, so if we are right and it is mourning by making a nest on its mate's grave, it couldn't have been a titan. But also, no other thunder dragon we have seen tonight could possibly grow big enough to be the mate to a Titan. Except for one species.”

“...A Thunder Dragon Colossus,” Shaman completed the thought. Berserker nodded. “Master, how do you know so much about these creatures?”

“...I have been alive for a long time. More than you would think, even knowing that our art will make us age slower. Perhaps one day I’ll tell you,” Berserker said, with a hint of somberness. “Just know...There aren’t many Colossus left in this world. It is a shame... I respect their majesty, despite knowing how dangerous they are.” They would get no more out of him.

They fell silent for a long time, pondering the creature nesting on the island. Shaman closed her eyes again, entering a meditative state. Hours passed; finally, Berserker and Monk both fell asleep. The cave was entirely silent.

Down below, the Titan kept her nest protected; two if its heads slept while the third one kept watch. Suddenly, something stirred on the corner of its eye, and immediately a low, rumbling growl full of menace escaped from its throat as the other two heads suddenly raised themselves to face the threat. What it saw instead drained all the menace from its movements.

A spectral serpentine shape, crackling like lightning was rising like dust from the earth around Titan, and borrowing sparks of electricity from its own body. The energy slowly and carefully coalested, growing more and more, longer every second until it almost rivaled the Titan in size. The crackling golden spirit finally finished forming; it had two large wings and spikes going down its back. It was unlike any Tenyi spirit, but Titan had its eyes locked on it, almost in shock. The spectral form of the Thunder Dragon Colossus curled up around Titan, exchanging jolts of electricity. A very low rumble came from the immense chest of Titan as it laid back down its heads - all three, this time - and closed its eyes.

Back in the cave, Shaman had beads of sweat running down her forehead from the strain of channeling such a large quantity of chi from an element she never could come in contact with before. When she opened her eyes to see the Thunder Dragon Titan peacefully curled up against the image she had channeled of Colossus, though, she managed to force out a smile. Shaman held the image for as long as she could, but the chi of thunder was simply too alien for her to keep her grasp for long. She collapsed on the cave floor, asleep from exhaustion before her body hit the rock. Down in the island, Titan still dreamt of olden days of strong lightning, plenty of prey, and its mate alive and free to fly by its side, when they ruled the skies together.


End file.
